Mine-door.



N. K. BOWMAN.

MINE DOOB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1a, 1908. nnnnwnn AUG. 16, 1910.

' Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

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N. K. BOWMAN.

MINE DOOR.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 18, 1908. RENEWED AUG. 16, 1910.

Patnted A r. 4,1911.

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N. K. BOWMAN.

MINE DOOR.

APPLIOATION rum: JAN. 18, 1908. nnnnwm: we. 10, 1010. 988,622. Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

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PATENT OFFICE.

NEWTON K. BOWMAN, OF

NORTH LAWRENCE, OHIO.

MINE-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application filed January 18, 1908, Serial No. 411,495. Renewed August 16, 1910. Serial No. 577,513.

Tov all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NEWTON K. BOWMAN, citizen of the United States, residing at North Lawrence, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention deals with mine doors of the type which are automatically actuated, being operated by the approaching car and closed after the car has passed the door.

The invention provides novel operating means engaged by the car to effect opening of the door, peculiar catch mechanism to hold the door open and a unique trip appliance to effect release of the door and permit the same to close, said trip appliance being operated by the car after clearing the door.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings.

While the invention may be adapted to different forms and conditions by changes in the structure and minor details without departing from the spirit or essential features thereof, still the preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a mine door and adjunctive parts embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the means for holding the door open, the release mechanism, the means for opening the door and the door and frame therefor, the parts being shown on a larger scale and the door frame being in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a View of the parts shown in Fig. 2, with the exception of the door opening means, showing the relation of the parts when the door is open. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the trip device for effecting release of the door after the car has cleared the same. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the means for effecting opening of the door by the approaching car, showing the relation of the parts when the door is opened. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 66 of Fig. 5, looking to the right. Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3, looking to the left, the left-hand door being in full and the door closing spring being shown by dotted lines. Fig. 8is a vertical section on the line 8-8 of Fig.3, looking to the left and showing the parts on a larger scale. Fig. 9 is a vertical section on the line 9-9 of ig. 8, looking to the right. Fig. 10 is a vertical section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 4. Fig. 11 is a view in elevation of a door having part of the covering broken away. Fig. 12 is a detail view of the catch for holding the door open, the lower port-ion of the door being in section and shown directly above the pivot of the catch.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The mine door is located at the most desir-able place in the entry, passage, drift or lead of the mine so as to control the current of air and is arranged with reference to the track 1 so as to open upon the approach of a car and close after the car has cleared the same. The door has two leaves or sections 2 and 3, each leaf being of like construction and mounted so as to swing about a vertical axis at the outer edge thereof. The leaves 2 and 3 are mounted so as to swing in opposite directions and are connected so that the air current acting upon one leaf neutralizes that acting upon the other leaf, with the result that the force expended to open the leaves is required only to overcome the inertia and the friction of the working eleanents. The leaves 2 and 3 overlap at their meeting edges, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2. A textile strip 4 provides a close joint at the hinged end of each leaf, one edge of said strip being secured to the leaf and the opposite edge being attached to the post or upright 5 of the door frame.

The door has a diagonal or oblique arrangement with reference to the length of the track or the direction of the lead, entry or passage, this being preferred as it enables the doors to operate in a small space and to the best possible advantage. The door frame 5 may be of any substantial construction and comprises upri 'hts and a cross piece and is arranged diagonally to conform to the position of the doors. An arm 6 projects outward from the hinged end of each door and a bar 7 connects the two arms to cause the doors to swing in unison. The arms (5 project from the doors in the same direction and being connected by means of the bar 7 effect an opposite swinging of the doors 2 and 3 when opening and closing, this being manifest on reference to doors.

Fig. 3. A spring 8 has one end connected to the bar 7 and its opposite end made fast to a convenient part-of the road bed and serves to hold the doors closed. An elbow lever pivoted to a part of the road bed has one armconnected by link 10 to the bar 7 and its other arm connected by means of a rod 11 to the means for effecting opening of the door. A second elbow lever 12 has one arm connected by means of link 13 to the bar 7 and its other arm connected by means of a rod 14 with door opening means arranged upon the opposite side of the door. A pull upon either rod or connection 11 or 1A effects an opening of the door, as will be readily understood on reference to Fig. 2. lVhen the door is released, the spring 8 contracting causes the same to close. It is important that the rods or connections 11 and let be so rigid that depression of one rail or bar will effect a corresponding depression of the rail or bar upon the opposite side of the gate so as not to obstruct the travel of the car after passing by the door.

The door opening means arranged upon opposite sides of the door are of like formation, hence a detail description of one, only, will be given. A depressible rail or bar 15 is located adjacent to a rail of the track and is pivoted at one end at 16. the opposite end being free to rise and fall and prevented from lateral displacement by means of a guard 17 secured to a tie and projected vertically. The pivot end of the depressible rail or bar 15 is adjustable vertically to admit of adapting the said rail or bar to the height of the track rail so as not to project above the tread thereof. A plate 18 fast to the pivot end. of the depressible rail has an opening toreceive an eccentric 19 which is mounted upon a pin or shaft 16 and adapted to be secured in the located position by means of the set screw 20. By turning the eccentric upon the pin or shaft 16, the pivot end of railv or bar 15 may be adjusted vertically. A rock shaft 21 is mounted in bearings secured to the road bed and is provided with crank arms 22 and 23. A link 2%. connects the crank arm 23 with the depressible rail or bar 15. The crank arm 22 is connected to one of the levers 9 or 12 by means of the rods 11 or let. The rock shaft 21 is located near the movable end of the rail 15. lVhen the parts are properly arranged, the rail 15 inclines with reference to the track rail so as to project above the tread thereof at its free end. As the car approaches the door, a wheel of the truck engages the rail 15 and depresses the same and causes a rocking movement of the shaft 21 with the result that the rod or connection cooperating therewith is pulled upon, and through the connections herein before described effects an opening of the As, the rod 11 upon one side is pulled upon, the rod or connection 14 upon the opposite side of the door is subjected to a pushing action which rocks the shaft 21 having connection therewith and depresses the rail 15 upon the opposite side, so that the car, after clearing the door, may continue its movement without being obstructed by the opposite rail or bar 15, which would be the case if no provision were had for depressing the elevated end to move it out of the way of the car receding from the door after passing by the same.

It is desirable to hold the door open and to prevent unsteady movement thereof, such as would result if no such means were provided, and to effect this result, a catch 1nechanism is supplied. the same consisting of a pivoted catch 25, one end of which is weighted, as shown at 26. The catch 25 has a horizontal arrangement and is located at one side of the track and its weighted. end projects to form a shoulder 27, which limits the opening movement of the door and constitutes a stop. To insure positive move ment of the catch 25, the weighted end is so arranged as to project above the plane of the lower edge of the door to be engaged thereby and depressed, after the door has cleared the beveled end of the catch, thereby throwing said beveled end upward into the path of the lower portion of the door to be engaged thereby and hold the same open. A metal piece 28 is fitted to the lower edge of the door to sustain the wear incident to the engagement of the catch with the door, the plate 28 projects a. short distance below the door and the projecting portion 29 is deflected so as tomake positive engagement with the stop or shoulder at the inner end of the beveled portion of the catch.

The door, when opened, is held against the action of the spring 8 which is expanded, as indicated in Fig. 3. The catch 25 is tripped when the door is to be closed. A release device is provided to be operated from each side of the door to effect disengagement of the catch and the same consists of a lever 30 pivoted between its ends and having a cam 31 at one end to pass beneath the weighted end of the catch and elevate the same and correspondingly depress the opposite end so as to disengage it from the door. A spring 32 normally holds the lever 30 in a position to prevent interference of the cam 31 with the free movement of the catch.

lVhen the release device is operated, the cam 31 passes beneath the weighted end of the catch and lifts the same wit-h the result that the opposite end provided with the stop is depressed and clears the door, thereby permitting the latter to close under the ac tion of the spring 8. A rod orconnection 33 connects the release device upon one side of the catch with the trip mechanism. upon the rail 35 spaced from the track rail faces away from the door. As a result of this arcontractile type and serves to hold one end Y of the rail 35 away from the track ra1l.

one side of the door, and a like rod or conl nection 34 connects the release device upon the opposite side of the catch with the trip mechanism upon the other side of the door. A pull upon either connection 33 or 34 actuates the release device connected therewith and effects disengagement of the catch from the door. A like trip mechanism is located upon each side of the door at a proper distance therefrom to be operated by the car after the same has entirely cleared the door. The trip device consists of a rail 35 located adjacent to arail of the track and having a vertical flange at its inner edge, which normally inclines away from the track rail at one end, the opposite end of the flange touching said track rail. The rail 35 is supported at its ends upon plates secured to adjacent ties. A bar 36 is fast at one end to the rail 35 and extends beneath the adjacent track rail, and a spring 37 connects the outer end of the bar 36 with a bar 38 fast to ties of the track and located adjacent to the track rail. A second bar 39 is fast to the opposite end portion of the rail 35 and passes beneath the track rail and the bar 38 and its outer bent end sustains the outward pressure of a spring 40 which is mounted upon a rod 41 secured at one end to the bar 38 and having its outer end passed loosely through an opening in the outer bent end of a bar 39. The spring 37 is of the The spring 40 is of the expansible type and serves to hold the opposite end of the rail 35 close against the track rail. The end of rangement, a car approaching the door will clear the rail 35 without actuating the release device. This is due to the flanges of the wheels passing into the space formed between the rail 35 and the track rail and pressing the opposite end of the rail 35 away from the track rail, the rail 35 returning to normal position after the wheels of the car have cleared the same. An elbow lever 42 has one arm connected by means of a link 43 to the end of the rail 35 spaced from the track rail, the opposite arm of the elbow lever being connected to the release device by means of one or the other of the connections 33 or 34 according to the relative location of the trip device. As the car recedes from the door, the flanges of the wheels engage with the vertical flange of the rail 35 and effect a lateral movement of the latter, that is, cause the end of the rail 35 spaced from the track rail to approach the latter, with the result of turning the lever 42 and producing a pull upon the connection 33 which actuates the release device to disconnect the catch from the door and permit the latter to close.

The operation of the invention may be briefly stated as follows: The car approaching the door from either direction coming in contact with the rail or bar 15 depresses the same and imparts movement to the rock shaft 21, which is transmitted to the bar 7 and doors 2 and 3 through the instrumentalities herein described, thereby opening said doors, the latter being held in open position by means of the catch 25. After the car passes by the door, it actuates the rail 35 and im )arts movement to a release dcvice, there y disconnect-ing the catch from the door and permittin the latter to close by the action of the spring 8 in the manner set forth. It is proposed to cover the operating means to protect the same, and the manner of inclosing the mechanism will readily suggest itself to the skilled mechanic in the installation of the door.

It is of the utmost importance that the door be of light construction yet durable, and to meet these requirements the door consists of a frame and a cover of light material such as canvas. The door frame consists of a metal bar 44 whose ends are extended to form journals which are mounted in brackets 45 applied to the door frame. Metal plates 46 are secured to opposite sides of the bar 44 and projected beyond the inner edge of said bar. lVooden bars 47 project horizontally from the bar 44 and plates 46 and are connected at. their outer ends by means of a vertical bar 48 likewise of wood. Metal clips 49 embrace opposite sides of the vertical bar 48 and connect the same to the adjacent ends of the horizontal bars 47. A covering 50, preferably of canvas is tacked or otherwise secured to the door frame. It will thus be understood that the structure is exceedingly light, strong and durable, permitting the door to be operated by the expenditure of a minimum amount of energy.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a mine door comprising two sections arranged to swing in opposite directions from their meeting ends, actuating means for opening the door from. each approach, a catch arranged to engage with one of the door sections to hold both when swung open, a release device at each side of the catch, and a separate trip device to be operated from each approach and each having connection with one of said release devices.

2. In combination, a mine door, actuating means for throwing the door open, a catch for engaging with the door and holding the same open, a release device at each side of the catch, said release device consisting of a lever and a cam, and a trip device for 'each release device.

3. In combination, a door, operating means tl.1lf0l',21' catch for holding the door open, a release device for said catch, and a trip device for operating the said release device, said trip device consisting of a rail having a vertical flange touching the track rail at one end and spaced from said track rail at its opposite end, and oppositely acting springs cooperating with said rail to admit of lateral movement thereof at their end and yet hold one end of said rail in contact with the track rail and the opposite end spaced therefrom.

4. A trip mechanism consisting of a rail having one end in contact with a track rail and its opposite end spaced therefrom, a 15 said rail to hold it in contact with the track 20 rail and yet admit of its movement away from said track rail.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses NElVTON K. BOWMAN, Vitnesses V. B. HILLYARD, V. N. \Voonson.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

